David Bowie’s Hair Auctioned for Nearly $20,000

A lock of David Bowie's hair has found a new home — and some lucky dogs will get a financial windfall in the bargain.

NME reports that the rock legend's follicles were sold at auction for £13,700 — a little over $18,000 at current exchange rates — after being put on the block by Wendy Farrier, who cut samples of Bowie's hair in 1983 in order to match the wig atop his wax dummy at Madame Tussauds.

Tussauds policy dictates that their subjects' hair samples be destroyed, but Farrier held on to a small portion, framing it with a photo of the two of them together and keeping it on her wall for decades. As Farrier told Newsweek, their encounter was one of her most memorable while working for the museum.

"He came over and seemed…a normal guy. There wasn’t any ego there, he was very easygoing. I said: ‘I’m sorry, I’ll be very careful, I won’t muck up your style,’ because he had a big quiff at the front. I remember my scissors were shaking as I did it. He was totally calm, he didn’t make a fuss," she recalled. "At that time he had so many different colors — I took about five samples because the back of his head was a different color to the very bleached blond at the front."

Farrier acknowledged that some might find the timing of the auction ghoulish, given Bowie's passing mere months ago, but she explained that the sale was being held to benefit the Soi Dog Foundation, a Thailand-based organization working on behalf of special needs pups. By selling now, she guaranteed them a healthy payday.

"I wanted to give something back. I’m not a wealthy lady," said Farrier. "Soi Dogs does such good work. It will go to helping them to feed the dogs, rehabilitate them, get them off to good homes. I hope people understand the reason why I’m selling it."